Sorting

[Glenn]

How do I sort a text column of alpha numeric cells by the
first letter or digit in the cell? I want all the 1's to
appear first in numeric order then the 2's. All the 1's
are sorted then by the second digit etc.

tia,
Glenn

 

[David McRitchie]

Hi Glen,
The following is sorted as text and this is the order you are asking
for isn't it. Anyway this is how text sorts

1
12
2
21
211

This is how numbers sort
1
2
12
21
211

To find what kind of data you have see
http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/join.htm#debugformat

--

 

[Glenn]

Yes, I want to sort as text just like you show below.
Thanks for the info. Went to the website you recommended
and checked my cell format. It is text but still sorts as
numbers. What am I doing wrong?

Glenn

-----Original Message-----
Hi Glen,
The following is sorted as text and this is the order you are asking
for isn't it. Anyway this is how text sorts

1
12
2
21
211

This is how numbers sort
1
2
12
21
211

To find what kind of data you have see
http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/join.htm#debugformat

message news:[email protected]...

 

[David McRitchie]

Hi Glenn,
If you have numbers entered and format the cells as Text
they are still numbers until reentered.

Did you specifically check the entries with =ISTEXT(A1)
and use fill handle down your helper (added) column
to verify that they are indeed text, and not just a cell format..
http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/join.htm#debugformat